Lewis Hamilton reached out to Nicholas Latifi after his infamous crash (Image: Getty)
It didn’t work out for Nicholas Latifi in – so he’s now following in . Latifi’s three-year F1 career will unfortunately always be remembered for what happened at the 2021 .
The Canadian inadvertently played a major part in that year’s dramatic title race between and . With just over five laps to go of the season’s concluder, he brought out the safety car after losing control of his Williams and crashing out at Turn 14. With it looking like the race would finish on a damp note, race director Michael Masi U-turned on his initial decision and allowed the five lapped cars separating leader Hamilton from second-placed Verstappen to pass before it was restarted. The Dutchman, on fresher tyres, was able to take the lead and claim his maiden championship in the most controversial of circumstances.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Latifi came under fire for his involvement, forcing him to issue an apology. “It was never my intention and I can only apologise for influencing and creating an opportunity,” he said in the aftermath. “I made a mistake.
“I wasn’t aware of the situation of the race up until then. Obviously, it was never my intention to inadvertently influence that, but I made a mistake and ruined my own race.”
He later revealed that Hamilton reached out with a supportive message, as did fellow staff members. But his F1 career would last only more year, with Williams replacing him with for 2023.
Latifi’s father Michael is worth billions (Image: Facebook/Nicholas Latifi)
Latifi has largely disappeared from the spotlight since then, aside from issuing an update on social media in July 2023. He explained how he was leaving motorsport behind to study for a Master of Business Administration at the London Business School.
He has quite the role model to look up to in his 62-year-old dad Michael, who as founder and owner of meat processing giant Sofina Foods has a net worth of $3.4billion (£2.7bn), according to . Born in Iran, his family immigrated to Canada when he was a teenager, and he got his first job at McDonald’s.
While Nicholas has said goodbye to F1, Michael owns a 10 per cent stake in through his investment company Nidala Limited, which he bought for approximately £200million in 2018. Along with his other children – son Max and daughters Afschineh and Afsaneh – Nicholas is in line to inherit his fortune, which includes a £160m yacht Michael purchased from Aston Martin co-owner Lawrence Stroll and one of Michael Schumacher’s former racecars.